Search

Background: A single flexible sigmoidoscopy at around the age of 60 years has been proposed as an effective strategy for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening.Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of flexible sigmoidoscopy screening on CRC incidence and mortality. A questionnaire to assess the eligibility and interest in screening was mailed to 236,568 men and women, aged 55-64 years, who were randomly selected from six trial centers in Italy. Of the 56,532 respondents, interested and eligible subjects were randomly assigned to the intervention group (invitation for flexible sigmoidoscopy; n = 17,148) or the control group (no further contact; n = 17,144), between June 14, 1995, and May 10, 1999. Flexible sigmoidoscopy was performed on 9911 subjects. Intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were performed to compare the CRC incidence and mortality rates in the intervention and control groups. Per-protocol analysis was adjusted for noncompliance.Results: A total of 34,272 subjects (17,136 in each group) were included in the follow-up analysis. The median follow-up period was 10.5 years for incidence and 11.4 years for mortality; 251 subjects were diagnosed with CRC in the intervention group and 306 in the control group. Overall incidence rates in the intervention and control groups were 144.11 and 176.43, respectively, per 100,000 person-years. CRC-related death was noted in 65 subjects in the intervention group and 83 subjects in the control group. Mortality rates in the intervention and control groups were 34.66 and 44.45, respectively, per 100,000 person-years. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the rate of CRC incidence was statistically significantly reduced in the intervention group by 18% (rate ratio [RR] = 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.69 to 0.96), and the mortality rate was non-statistically significantly reduced by 22% (RR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.56 to 1.08) compared with the control group. In the per-protocol analysis, both CRC incidence and mortality rates were statistically significantly reduced among the screened subjects; CRC incidence was reduced by 31% (RR = 0.69; 95% CI = 0.56 to 0.86) and mortality was reduced by 38% (RR = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.40 to 0.96) compared with the control group.Conclusion: A single flexible sigmoidoscopy screening between ages 55 and 64 years was associated with a substantial reduction of CRC incidence and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respecting the wishes of an adequately informed patient should be a priority in any health structure. A patient with advanced or terminal cancer should be allowed to express their will during the most important phases of their illness. Unfortunately, this is seldom the case, and in general instructions regarding an individual's medical care preferences, i.e., their 'living will', expressed when healthy, often change with the onset of a serious illness. At the European Institute of Oncology (IEO), a clinical study is ongoing to verify whether, during clinical practice, the patient is adequately informed to sign an 'informed consent', in a fully aware manner, that will allow the patient and doctor to share in the decisions regarding complex treatment strategies (living will). A further aim of the study is to verify if health workers, both in hospital and at home, respect the patient's will. The observational study 'Respecting the patient's wishes: Correlation between administered treatment and that accepted by the patient in their Living Will' was approved by the IEO Ethical Committee in April 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Damage control is a surgical strategy for severely compromised trauma patients based on speed control of life-threatening injuries that aims to rapidly resuscitate patients in an intensive care unit (ICU). We report on the use of such therapeutic strategy in a patient affected by a retroperitoneal sarcoma concomitant to a horseshoe kidney, a relatively rare anatomical malformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A single sigmoidoscopy examination at around age 60 years has been proposed as a cost-effective strategy to prevent colorectal cancer. A multicenter randomized controlled trial, the SCORE trial, is in progress in Italy to estimate the impact of this strategy on colorectal cancer incidence and mortality and the duration of the protective effect. We present the baseline screening outcomes.Methods: A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 236 568 people aged 55-64 years to assess their eligibility for and interest in screening. Those reporting a history of colorectal cancer, adenomas, inflammatory bowel disease, recent colorectal endoscopy, or two first-degree relatives with colorectal cancer were excluded. Eligible, interested respondents were assigned randomly to the control group (no further contact) or the intervention group (invitation to undergo sigmoidoscopy). Screenees with colorectal cancer, polyps larger than 5 mm, three or more adenomas, adenomas 5 mm or smaller with a villous component of more than 20%, or severe dysplasia were referred for colonoscopy.Results: Of the 56 532 respondents (23.9% of those invited), 34 292 were enrolled and 17 148 were assigned to the screening group. Of those, 9999 attended and 9911 were actually examined by sigmoidoscopy. Distal adenomas were detected in 1070 subjects (10.8%). Proximal adenomas were detected in 116 of 747 (15.5%) subjects without cancer at sigmoidoscopy who then underwent colonoscopy. A total of 54 subjects was found to have colorectal cancer, a rate of 5.4 per 1000 (54% of which were Dukes' A). The procedures were relatively safe, with two perforations (one in 9911 sigmoidoscopy exams and one in 775 colonoscopies) and one hemorrhage requiring hospitalization after polypectomy during colonoscopy. The pain associated with sigmoidoscopy was described as mild or less than expected by 83.3% of the screenees.Conclusion: Sigmoidoscopy screening is generally acceptable to recipients and safe. The high yield of advanced adenomas is consistent with the projected impact of sigmoidoscopy screening on colorectal cancer incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent times there have been many important changes in the surgical management of rectal cancer. The general thrust of these changes has been towards a less invasive approach with preservation of intestinal continuity and avoidance of the psychological sequelae of a stoma. It is also becoming increasingly apparent that profound sexual and autonomic dysfunction can be associated with abdominoperineal resection. This paper highlights these issues and the conflict between performing an adequate oncological procedure and reducing the incidence of postoperative psychological morbidity. It outlines the great changes there have been in surgical technique and their relevance to psychological problems after surgery for rectal cancer. The need for auditing psychological morbidity when assessing the outcome of surgical series is emphasised, as is the importance of involving the patient in the medical decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]